DIGITAL MARKETING AND CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS PHARMACEUTICAL DISTRIBUTION: EVIDENCE FROM WHOLESALE PHARMACIES IN MWANZA CITY, TANZANIA
The rapid adoption of digital communication tools has transformed marketing practices in business-to-business (B2B) markets, yet empirical evidence on how specific digital marketing dimensions affect customer loyalty in sub-Saharan African pharmaceutical distribution remains limited. This study examined the effect of digital marketing specifically online promotions, social media marketing, and mobile-based marketing on customer loyalty among retail pharmacy clients of selected wholesale pharmacies in Mwanza City, Tanzania. Guided by Relationship Marketing Theory (Morgan & Hunt, 1994), the study adopted a qualitative case study design, collecting data through eight semi-structured individual interviews (four with wholesale pharmacy representatives and four with retail pharmacy representatives) and two focus group discussions comprising eight participants each, yielding twenty-four participants in total. Thematic analysis was applied to the data. Ten themes were identified across three objectives. The findings confirm that all three digital marketing dimensions have a significant positive effect on customer loyalty, and that personalisation is the overarching mechanism through which digital marketing communications generate trust, strengthen relational commitment, and sustain repeat purchasing behaviour. Personalised one-to-one mobile-based marketing (WhatsApp/SMS) was identified as the strongest loyalty driver, followed by interactive social media engagement and personalised online promotions. The study validates the applicability of Relationship Marketing Theory’s trust-commitment framework to digital marketing in sub-Saharan African B2B pharmaceutical distribution markets and contributes a novel finding on the pre-relational trust-signalling function of social media presence. Practical recommendations are offered for wholesale pharmacy managers and pharmaceutical sector policymakers.
Keywords: digital marketing, customer loyalty, online promotions, social media marketing, mobile-based marketing, relationship marketing theory, wholesale pharmacy, Tanzania, B2B
